The Rise of HR Storytellers

I spent five days in the office, one day after the other, a week of commuting and booking desks. Something I have not done for years. Back when work was defined by presence and productivity was measured by managers’ sideways glances at your screen. You judged others by what you saw, heard and said. Love it or loathe it everyone understood the rules of the office and could tell you about the culture before Glassdoor opened it up for debate.

The office became a precinct of our constructed workplace reality. There was main character energy, brand identity and cultural microcosms. Watercooler chats were strategic and your connections around the workplace were like neighbours. There was a sense of community and belonging if you liked your job. If you hated your job, it boosted your resilience and motivation to get out of there. Flip charts, sticky notes and focus groups with the same people regardless of the topic.

Working from home was a temporary perk. The pandemic changed everything. It proved you can work from home and maintain your relationship to your employer. However, it was only a temporary arrangement for public safety. While I cherish hybrid working I am sick of discussing why people have to attend the office.

The all-seeing panopticon of inbuilt control has become virtual as it adapts to hybrid working, different working habits and a multigenerational workforce with expectations of what they want from work and their employer. The institutional workplace surveillance built on trust you will live your values and do your job. A subconscious awareness you are being watched vicariously by the CEO and their organisational hierarchy of eyes.

The workplace can feel liberating, a platform for you to thrive. Autonomy, trust and the freedom to interact essential to making office presence worthwhile. You want to be watched for all the good things you do. To be seen for who you are, what you do and your potential for the future. The antithesis of micromanagement and battery farming of employees punching their timecards.

HR commentators are predicting that workplace attendance will continue to be debated in 2026. This may lead to bigger questions on why we work and what do we offer our employers. The meaning and purpose power statement is losing ground to the emerging ultimatum of you’re not paid for turning up, you’re paid to do a job to make a difference. This sounds good until it becomes a really good question you have to answer.

Travelling to work and being in the office can be treated as a long plane flight. The pilots are the senior leadership team, the air stewards are managers and the staff are passengers who make everything worthwhile. It’s about the experience, getting to your destination and knowing when to depart. The people you meet on your travels could lead to new opportunities. We are all watching, working and living.

I was asked if I am a communicator working in HR or an HR professional who likes to communicate. I was even rejected for a job because I see myself as an HR and communications professional. If there is hybrid working, not only should it be okay to be a hybrid professional, it should be encouraged. Versatility can be the buzz word of 2026.

I am a storyteller and need more people like me in influential positions to create career paths for unconventional dreamers who want to change the world. If history is written by the victors it is time to turn the page. Monetise my talents and more people like me will follow.